Sandpaper and Soap: How to Achieve a Stylish Distressed Wood Effect

Tools and Materials

Thankfully, when it comes to distressing furniture and fixtures, there’s a simple way to do it. All it requires is four everyday items, all of them easy to get your hands on. These are: 

• A bar of soap
• The fixture or fitting you want to distress
• Paint
• Fine grit sandpaper

Step 1: Gather Your Materials  

You probably already have most of the items needed for this project lying around your house already. You can get as creative as you want when it comes to the color you choose, but I have found pastels to work wonderfully in my projects.

Step 2: Rub Soap on the Wood 

Once you’ve gathered together everything you need, the next step is super straightforward: you’re going to rub the bar of soap on your wooden item, for a supremely simple distressing furniture technique. 

First I removed the backing and glass (along with any other components I didn't want to make a mess of), before taking the bar and rubbing it along the wood. The soap comes off quite easily and adheres to the frame without too much difficulty, making it nice and simple to build up. Be sure to apply extra pressure when going over the edges and any raised areas to make certain they’re not missed. 

Step 3: Add Paint 

This is one of the simplest distressed wood painting techniques. The next step is to add some color!  

The shade you choose is entirely up to you, but I’d recommend opting for something that complements your overall palette and the theme of your room. While it’s okay for distressed paint to clash slightly, you still want the end result to go well with the rest of your fixtures and fittings. 

I opted for a gorgeous peach color for my frame. Before your paint make sure that your frame or piece of furniture is fully coated, with all of the soapy spots completely concealed by the time you’re done.  

Step 4: Rub with Sandpaper 

Once the paint was dry it was time to distress with sandpaper. Ideally, you want the grain on this to be as fine as possible. Do your best to apply the sandpaper to the edges, being as conservative as you can. I started on the edges and moved inward, paying careful attention not to sand away too much as I went. While the finished piece can look as dramatic as you desire, it’s always best to err on the side of caution to begin with, as you can add a little extra distressing if you feel the look is too subtle, but you can’t reverse the process if you go overboard without meaning to!

Admire Your Work - Then Move on to Bigger and Better Things!

If you’re pleased with the outcome, don’t be afraid to move on to bigger projects, such as a second-hand bookshelf or an old chest of drawers. While this will mean you need to apply the soap and paint to a bigger surface, the technique is the same in practice and should deliver the same results.   

If you’re really feeling ambitious, you could even try distressing plastic. I personally found that this was slightly more difficult, and it does require you to do a small amount of sanding first. That being said, only a light amount of scoring is needed to make the paint stick, and the end result can look really impressive.    

When it comes to achieving the distressed look you desire, this clever soap trick makes it eminently simple. Why not give it a go today?